Rumour Report: Goalie market heating up as offseason nears

With the vast majority of NHL teams now sitting on the sidelines, the goalie market is beginning to heat up.

The Hurricanes kicked things off by acquiring Scott Darling from the Blackhawks for a 3rd round pick, and the Stars followed that up by swapping a 4th rounder for the Kings' Ben Bishop.

The list of goalies available is still significant with those two off the market. Over 10 high calibre goalies may change jerseys this offseason, including Marc-Andre Fleury, Brian Elliott, Jaroslav Halak and Steve Mason.

With the expansion draft looming, strong backups such as Antti Raanta (Rangers) and Philipp Grubauer (Capitals) could be available as well.

The floodgates may not open until the playoffs are complete, with several teams hoping to bid on Fleury who is currently manning the crease for the Penguins. The period between the Cup finals and the expansion draft deadline should be a busy one.

The two teams at the front of the race for Fleury appear to be the Flames and Golden Knights.

Rumours have connected Brian Elliott to the Jets and, yes, the Flames.

Ryan Miller to the Kings or Sharks is a rumoured possibility.

A major factor in all of this will be what expansion franchise Vegas decides to do in net. Do they pursue Fleury, as is rumoured, or do they take a chance on a younger option such as Grubauer or Raanta?